Trapped
by Crystal Mystery
Summary: 'Tony? Is that… Oh thank God, please you've got to help me.' It was one of the most terrifying moments of his life, but it might just lead to the one thing that he needed. Tony. SteveXTony


Tony was tinkering about in his lab, adjusting the thrust power on his boosters, toying with streamlining the bulk of the suit and possibly changing colour scheme, when JARVIS cut in on his musings.

'Mr Stark, there is an incoming communication from one of the speakers on the 4th floor. I believe it is coming from Mr Rodgers, should I put it through?'

Applying in the affirmative, Tony waited leaning back on the desk behind him with his hands folded over his shirt and a smirk on his face, unjustifiably happy to be hearing from the elusive captain who had been MIA for a few hours. Tony was used to having the blond Super Soldier hanging around his labs, pestering him with questions which never really annoyed Tony at all, and being downright adorable in his lacking technological knowledge, so the fact that he had been practically missing for the day was taking more of a toll on Tony than he would like to admit. Finally the crackle of the coms system filled the room.

'Steve?'

There was a pause before he was answered, and when he spoke Tony could tell that something was wrong straight away. There was a barely there tremble to Steve's voice, only picked up by Tony because he was embarrassingly well versed on all things Captain America. The second he heard it, he was on full alert, back straightened and face serious.

'Tony? Is that… Oh thank God, please you've got to help me.'

'What's wrong. Where are you.'

There was what sounded like a shaky exhalation of air before Steve spoke again, the tremble in his voice more noticeable now than before.

'I don't know. One of the lower floors. I went in and the doors shut and they won't open and-'

The panic was obvious now, the last part of the sentence cut off by what could have been a sob if it hadn't of come from the calm and collected team leader. And somehow that made Tony panic more, knowing full well that there was little that could shake the soldier, someone that had seen so much.

'JARVIS, where did you say Steve was communicating from?'

'I believe it is the 4th floor of the building sir.'

Tony drew up a mental map of the Avengers building and located the 4th floor in his mind. If he remembered correctly that was where he had built the kitchens, close to the ground floor for easier access for food deliveries, but that didn't make sense because none of those doors locked because of the fire risk that that posed. Except…

Tony froze in place, ceasing the frantic pacing he had begun.

Except for the freezer.

Before he had time to fully comprehend the fact that Steve, the man who had been trapped for 70 years in a block of ice and had confided in Tony that he still had recurring nightmares about said encasement, was currently locked in a walk in freezer in the 4th floor kitchens, he was sprinting towards the lift.

Once inside he frantically slammed his finger into the 'close' button and then stabbed at the luminescent '4' on the frankly alarmingly extensive set of numbers that listed the many floors of the Avengers Tower.

The wait was torturous, imagining Steve suffering in his icy prison, pounding at the walls desperately, reliving the trauma that he thought he had escaped. Tony lent his head against one of the mirrors that lined the walls of the cube and breathed in, trying to calm himself.

Of course he knew that Steve would be fine. Physically. But there was no telling how mentally damaging this experience would be. Tony knew that if he ever woke up in a cave somewhere, or was even forced to visit one someday, he was likely to breakdown under the pressure of the hideous memories caves sparked in his mind. And right now Steve was in his own version of Tony's 'cave'.

The door bell pinged as the lift reached floor 4. Quick as a bullet Tony shot of into the maze of kitchens that made up the floor, all sparkling white and black, in perfect order, and completely empty due to the fact it was only used when Tony was throwing a party and needed to bring in caterers.

Despite the fact that Tony had barely ever been down to this level, it wasn't hard to find the freezer, he just followed the banging that he had heard from the moment he had stepped off of the lift. As he neared the silver, metal door he noticed a large dent that was disfiguring the door itself. Even as he watched the door rattled and another 'bang' resounded through the room as Steve threw himself against the door.

Suddenly unsure of how to deal with the situation, Tony cautiously approached the freezer, wincing as he heard choked back sobs coming from inside.

'Steve? Are you ok?'

There was no answer, just another, louder, sob.

'I'm going to get you out of there buddy, just keep it together for a little longer Cap.'

The banging stopped and there was a sound of shuffling feet as Steve moved away from the door. Taking hold of the handle Tony tugged on it as hard as he could to confirm that it wasn't the manual lock that had jammed. After checking that, he moved over to the keypad that controlled the electronic locking system of the freezer. It didn't take long to realise that a power blip had caused the freezer to revert back to its unprogrammed state which unfortunately meant locked and freezing.

Easily overriding the codes and resetting them so that he was once again in control, Tony punched in the code to unlock the door. As soon as the locks had clicked back, he wrenched open the door and strode into the freezer, barely wincing as the cold air hit his skin. In the corner Steve stood, shoulders hunched and head bent so that he was staring at the floor. He didn't even notice Tony's entrance.

Quickly but quietly Tony strode over to the shaking man, knowing that it was more likely the fear that was making him shake than the cold, and gently touched his shoulder. There was still no reaction so he tightened his grip and guided Steve out of the chilly room.

Once outside Tony paused to shut the door again before leading Steve over to one of the chairs that were scattered around the kitchens. Still functioning on autopilot, Steve let Tony push him down onto a chair without resisting. Deep inside his mind he knew that his reaction was ridiculous. That he was being childish and weak and not at all what he was meant to be. But that didn't stop it from terrifying him, from making his bones seize up and his brain turn off, that didn't stop him from crying like the weak little boy he had once been.

A hand on his cheek brought him out of his stupor, if only slightly. His gaze locked onto Tony who seemed to be linked to the hand that was touching his cheek. Seeing Steve acknowledge his presence seemed to relax Tony slightly as he managed to smile a bit and dropped his hand away from Steve's face, something that Steve immediately missed.

'Are you alright now?' Tony asked, the words lacking the mocking acerbic tone that normally laced his words. Steve nodded, not trusting his voice not to falter and unwilling to lose what little dignity and strength he had left.

'Alright.' The words lacked certainty but Tony didn't push it. Instead he pulled Steve to his feet and told him to follow him to the lift. About half way there Tony realised he was walking alone and turned to see Steve standing where he left him looking lost and suddenly very young. Without thinking Tony walked back and picked up the Super Soldier's hand, clasping it in his own and began to tote the two of them through the maze of granite work surfaces.

By the time they made it to floor 52, the floor assigned to all things Captain America, Steve had begun to relax, was more alert and responsive, but still Tony refused to let go of his hand, relishing the opportunity to be this close to the other man. And Steve himself didn't protest as he was dragged into his bedroom and wrapped in his duvet, internally savouring the fact that Tony never once let go of his hand.

After he had been covered in a blanket and pushed to lie on his back on the bed with the lights turned off, Tony let go of his hand and stood awkwardly next to the bed, unsure what to do now that the adrenalin had worn off. After a minute or two of awkward silence, Tony turned to leave.

'Stay.'

Tony froze, wondering if he was hearing things.

'Tony please, please stay with me.'

Still facing away from Steve, Tony grinned, wide and toothy, before letting it soften into a smile as he turned back to Steve.

'Sure. You want me to get JARVIS to get another bed in here?'

Blushing red, Steve didn't answer and instead pulled up the side of his duvet in a silent invitation, one that Tony did not even hesitate in accepting. Slipping off his shoes he made his way over to the bed and climbed in after Steve had shifted out of the way. Taking a risk he reached out and reconnected their hands, internally cheering when Steve happily grasped back and rolled towards him instead of away. A few more minutes of silence followed, more comfortable than before.

'Thank you for saving me Tony.'

Tony chuckled slightly before responding, classic smirk in place.

'I don't know if you know this Cap, but that's kind of my job. I'm a hero.'

'Yeah Tony, you really are.'

The soft tone threw him slightly and he turned his head to look at Steve. His eyes locked onto another pair, already fixed on him with a quiet intensity. Steve seemed to realise he was struggling for a response and so he continued to talk, voice quiet and soft and oh so enthralling.

'When I met you Tony, I thought you were selfish, I thought that you didn't belong with the 'heroes'. I thought you lived for the money and the fame and nothing else. But then you proved me wrong, you proved you care more than anyone else, that you would _do_ more than anyone else, that you would _die_ for the people I though you looked down on. I was wrong about you, you _are_ a hero.'

'Thank you.'

It was all he could think to say.

Steve squeezed Tony's hand firmly in answer and continued to stare at the other man's face, the shock having not completely worn off and his self-consciousness seemingly lowered as a result. Tony stared back, unable to look away, unwilling to as well. And then it only seemed natural for them to close the gap between them, if only briefly, and press their lips together, warm meeting slightly chilled.

It lasted mere seconds before they pulled away, eyes closed and smiling.

Nothing more happened after that. Curled tight around each other, the last of their self-created walls knocked down, the two fell asleep, for once not dreading the following days, knowing that they would have each other, that they no longer fought the world alone.

They each had their superhero now.

**Wow, that got pretty damn sappy at the end. It got away from me, I apologise.**


End file.
